Comotion Podcast

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Alison Cohen, founder, chair, and president of Bicycle Transit Systems, one of the oldest and largest bikesharing networks in the country. They talk about the stubborn economics of bikeshares, the history of the model from coin-operated to electrified, and what's in store as systems recover from the ebbing ridership of the pandemic.

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Henriette Cornet, USF professor and sustainable autonomy expert, and Toby McGraw, Chief Revenue Officer at Beep, an autonomous shared mobility startup, to discuss the past, present, and future of autonomy, with lessons from Europe and beyond on fleet management, integration of autonomous infrastructure into urban cores, and using autonomy to compliment, rather than compete, with public transit. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In this episode, John Rossant talks to Paul Rennie, OBE, the British Consul General in Los Angeles, about the UK's new legal framework around autonomy and how that'll impact the next decade of innovation in the sector. They also talk regional investment, what LA's car-culture can learn from the brits, and how autonomy may reshape not only our cities, but the demographic fabric of our countries. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Ya-Ting Liu, the new Chief Public Realm Officer for New York City. They talk about how urban leaders can thoughtfully deploy pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, tackle entrenched bureaucracies, and expand economic opportunity through vibrant, joyful urban design. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

2024 saw a significant contraction in venture capital investment in mobility, down more than 50% since its frothy peak in 2021. So what comes next? In this episode, John Rossant, CEO & Founder of CoMotion chats with Prescott Watson, Operating Partner at RedBlue Capital, and investor and board member of Aerolane, a new company focusing on reducing aerial cargo costs. Hear from them about where venture does (and doesn't) make sense in mobility investing, how Aerolane is disrupting shipping, and what the next admin might look like for the clean energy transition. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: https://www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In this episode of CoMotion’s Fast Forward Podcast, host Nick Perloff-Giles dives into Portland's efforts in advancing sustainable delivery and smart curbs with PBOT's Jacob Sherman and Kristin Hull. They share insights on the challenges and lessons learned from implementing smart curbs, mapping curb usage, and partnering with private companies to “make the curb more productive”. The conversation explores the significant shift in urban delivery landscapes, emphasizing the importance of safety, climate goals, and equity.

In the latest episode of CoMotion’s Fast Forward Podcast, Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer for LA Metro, sits down with our own Nick Perloff-Giles to talk about the billions the agency is investing to expand transit in the notoriously car-centric region. Ray, who has been working in LA transit for three decades, says the big shift is not just about the new rail lines and bus routes being built, it’s about a fundamental change in attitude where people are demanding more transit options. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion LA '24, Nov 13-14. Get your pass now: www.comotionla.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In this special episode of CoMotion's Podcast, John Rossant sits down with Andrew Glass Hastings, Executive Director of the Open Mobility Foundation, to discuss what's in store for both CoMotion LA and the OMF Summit - and by extension, what's in store for our cities, roads, skies, and waterways. Hear from them about the emerging landscape of curbside data, the challenges of scaling innovative aerial transit, and how autonomy might just disrupt everything. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion LA '24, Nov 13-14. Get your pass now: www.comotionla.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In the latest episode of CoMotion’s Fast Forward Podcast supported by the Monaco Hydrogen Alliance, John Rossant sits down with Taras Wankewycz, Founder & CEO, H3 Dynamics to discuss, the right range for a hybrid electric eVTOL, their EU-funded clean aviation project with Pipistrel exploring a new class of aviation-grade fuel cell systems, and solutions to hydrogen supply. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion LA '24, Nov 13-14. Get your pass now: www.comotionla.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In this week's episode of CoMotion's Fast Forward Podcast, Nick Perloff-Giles has an exclusive conversation with Marc Nichols, General Counsel at the Federal Aviation Administration, leading the “safest and most efficient airspace system in the world” that just announced $291 million of investments from the Inflation Reduction Act for projects that help achieve the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by 2050. We look closely at the future of Advanced Air Mobility, regulatory challenges, the “cautious” insurance industry, 'Innovate 28', an inter-agency working group, and why you should engage communities in the planning process. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion LA '24, Nov 13-14. Get your pass now: www.comotionla.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

What could Saudi Arabia's futuristic NEOM, the Brooklyn-Queens Tram Project and Toronto's public transit possibly have in common? Meet 'Adam of Arabia' - Adam Giambrone, MBA, a senior transportation executive with decades of experience in providing innovative transit solutions who's threading the needle between legacy transit and the most forward-looking systems on the globe. Most recently, he was the Director of Urban & Regional Mobility and Head of the NEOM Road Department. Previously, he was the 'streetcar czar' of New York City, heading up an ambitious plan to connect Astoria all the way to Red Hook via streetcar. Hear from Adam on what we can learn from building a system from the ground up, what's in store for NYCMTA following the collapse of congestion pricing, and how digitization is disrupting the century-old farebox. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion LA '24, Nov 13-14. Get your pass now: www.comotionla.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.co

On this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles is joined by Tiya Gordon, Co-Founder & COO of itselectric, a company focused on redesigning and rethinking Level 2 charging in our cities. Hear from her about the challenges of conventional EV charging installation, opportunities for rethinking, and her thoughts on Tesla's recent news. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion LA '24, Nov 13-14. Get your pass now: www.comotionla.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

On this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles is joined by Robin Hutcheson, the former Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at USDOT. In this discussion they explore the unique challenges still faced by truckers trying to manage the growing demands on the supply chain, how drayage is becoming more sustainable, and how everyone is getting their standing desks on time.

On this special episode, recorded at CoMotion MIAMI '24, John Rossant is joined by Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation at the USDOT. Hear from her about the challenges and opportunities presented by the federal government’s landmark investments in clean transportation infrastructure, vehicle safety, and mobility equity, as well as insights from her own story on how to better integrate women into the transportation workforce. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion LA '24, Nov 13-14. Get your pass now: www.comotionla.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

On this episode, John Rossant is joined by Nick Molden, Founder & CEO, Emissions Analytics, the leading independent global testing and data specialist for the scientific measurement of real-world emissions. Tune in to hear about the best route to decarbonization, electrification, particle pollution, tires, emissions data, and more. ———————————— Join us next month at CoMotion MIAMI '24, May 6-7. Get your pass now: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

On this episode, John is joined by Alex Ivanenko of Hywatts, a company leveraging proprietary reversible fuel cell technology to make electricity from hydrogen abundant, portable, and affordable. Hear about the challenges of producing sustainable fuel, what hydrogen production might mean for the next generation of automotives, and how the grid of tomorrow will be made more resilient and decentralized. ———————————— Join us next month at CoMotion MIAMI '24, May 6-7. Get your pass now: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

On this episode, John Rossant is joined by Carlo Ratti, a professor and thought leader at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he leads the MIT Senseable City Lab, an innovative research team dedicated to investigating the transformative effects of new technologies on urban environments, from how we comprehend and craft them to how we inhabit our city spaces. Listen for a conversation on the end of the automobile's dominance in cities, what cities-from-scratch will have to contend with, and how existing cities will have to adapt to new modes.

On this episode of the Fast Forward podcast by CoMotion, John Rossant is joined by Michael Schneider, CEO & Founder of Streets For All, the organization behind the recently passed Measure HLA in Los Angeles. Measure HLA requires Los Angeles to add more than 230 miles of bike lanes and 300 miles of bus improvements - but can the car capital of the country really change? Listen for a discussion on the lessons of HLA's success, what the future holds for Los Angeles, and how other cities can adapt the Streets for All playbook. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '24, May 6-7. Save 50% off on your pass, discount ends March 13: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— Join a powerful network of startups and get a chance to pitch infront of VCs, key players, sign up to be part of the CoMotion Innovators 2024 Cohort. Learn more: comotionmiami.com/comotion-innovators ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaX

In this special episode of the Fast Forward Podcast, we celebrate International Women's Day with an all female panel on gender equality in the mobility sector, from CoMotion LA '23. Joining us for the discussion: Laura Rubio-Cornejo, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation; Hilary Norton, California Transportation Commissioner and Executive Director & Founder of FASTLinkDTLA; Katherine Perez, Principal, ARUP; Heather Anderson, Associate Vice President, HNTB. These types of discussions underscore the crucial need to include women in decision-making roles at all levels and illuminates the diverse range of challenges and opportunities that women face within the mobility sector. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '24, May 6-7. Save 50% off on your pass, discount ends March 13: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— Join a powerful network of startups and get a chance to pitch infront of VCs, key players, sign up to be part of the CoMotion Innovators 2024 Cohort. Learn

On the latest episode of the Fast Forward Podcast, we look at state-of-the-art carbon fiber lightweighting with Evangelos Zympeloudis, Co-Founder & CEO of iCOMAT, a startup based in Bristol, UK, and recent winner of the LA New Mobility Challenge 2023, that is revolutionizing the next generation of cars, trains, planes and spacecraft to be more lighter and sustainable than ever. Tune in to learn about: - The weight problem in mobility, with some EVs and SUVs ballooning up to 3 tonnes. - Game-changing Rapid Tow Shearing process that disrupts the way we design composites leading to lighter, more sustainable and lower cost structures. - The challenges to make an early stage technology and commercialise it. - How Bristol, UK is the biggest hub for carbon fibre and composites in the world. - The impact Brexit has had on businesses to access grants and hiring talented engineers. ———————————— Learn more about iCOMAT: https://icomat.co.uk/ ———————————— Join key stakeholders and startups like iCOMAT at CoMoti